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a Month ago I've started working out. 5 times a week. Each session: 25 min weights, 25 min cardio (running/fast walking in 5 min intervals).

I feel leaner. I definitely see a "change" in slightly beefier muscles (even after one month), But I gained 10 pounds!

How can that be? I'm still considered overweight. 6ft over 215 pounds. I don't eat flour. Cut back on sugars. Lots of Proteins. Yes, still a diet soda addict, but how can I work out so much and still gain weight without any change in waist size?

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  • Check your body fat percentage periodically; that should give you an indication if you're gaining muscle or fat weight. Jul 9, 2014 at 19:21
  • If you feel that you're making progress, why would you care about a number on a scale? Toss it aside, make a photo every week and compare those. Much better indicator of success imho.
    – user8119
    Jul 10, 2014 at 6:09

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What does your diet look like? How much are you eating? Weight loss is 90% diet, 10% exercise. You can exercise all day long but if you eat those calories back it's for naught. If you're not tracking your calories, do that. Keep track of everything you eat, everything you drink. And be careful about portion sizes.

I also highly recommend weighing your food, at least for a little while. Misjudging how much you're eating can lead you wildly off course, especially with oily or fatty foods like peanut butter. Being off by a few tablespoons can add a couple hundred calories!

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  • The thing is, I don't "look" fatter or feel fatter. I've never worked out before. know what gaining weight (and size) feels like. This is different. Could it be I'm just replacing more fat with muscle? Or is it too soon?
    – JasonGenX
    Jul 9, 2014 at 18:36
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    @RM1970 Muscle is more dense than fat, so yes, it's possible to look leaner (because you burned off some fat) but gain weight (because you gained some muscle).
    – Josh
    Jul 9, 2014 at 18:43
  • You can lose fat at 2 or more pounds a week, but you can only put on muscle at a half pound a week at best. Any weight gain past that won't be muscle; it'll be fat or water weight. Putting on 10 pounds in a month means you're definitely not eating at a caloric deficit. If you were eating right, you'd be losing weight, not gaining it. Jul 9, 2014 at 18:44
  • Thanks. I'll try to log what I eat and calc its calorie intake vs. what I "spend"
    – JasonGenX
    Jul 9, 2014 at 18:47

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